By Vilhelmiina Haavisto and Allison Hung In recent years, the capybara has been launched into internet stardom as the world’s largest and chillest rodent. This giant rodent looms over its guinea pig relatives by nearly a meter, and has endeared millions of viewers by forming friendships with all animals alike. Yet, what’s most interesting about…
You may have heard that biology is the “science of exceptions” and this story originating from polar bear poop is yet another example of this saying. It’s a story of host-associated bacteria that has evolved to return to the environment. This discovery is contrary to what’s observed for many bacteria: that evolution of host-associated bacteria…
By Vilhelmiina Haavisto When you think of pollination, you probably think of bees and butterflies flocking to colorful and delightfully scented flowers, transporting pollen from one to another in exchange for a sugary nectar reward. However, there is more to this picture than meets the eye — especially as the third party cannot be seen…
When you’re scouring the pumpkin patch this autumn for the perfect pumpkin for your carving creations, you likely won’t come across Styrian pumpkins. These pumpkins are known as “naked-seeded pumpkins” because they possess seeds that are encased by just a thin membrane rather than a shell. The Styrian pumpkins were bred in the late 1800s…
The best season is upon us. The time of vibrant foliage, pumpkins, apples… and all the microbes that come with that. When it comes to the intersection of food and microbiology, we typically think of fermented foods (ex: sourdough, yogurt, kombucha, etc.). But plants naturally have their own microbes associated with them too. Today, we’ll…